Rickenbacker for a Lakland 4402

I have a 2006 Ric 4003 and I am just not in love with it like I thought I'd be. It is un-comfortable and hard to work on. Some guys have a instant bond with the Ric but each time I play it I get upset because I don't have the bond and I wish I did. It looks great in my opinion, but I am just not feeling it. If you know what I mean. So I have been thinking about selling it and replacing it with something different. The Skyline 44-02 has come to mind. Do you think this would be a fair exchange? Or am I crazy? I am a huge fan of the stingray, but I already have two of them. Their new 25th anniversary basses look pretty cool, but they are close to $3k. Well just looking for other opinions from you guys out there. Should I continue to give the Ric a chance or go with something else?
Thanks..

I have a 2006 Ric 4003 and I am just not in love with it like I thought I'd be. It is un-comfortable and hard to work on. Some guys have a instant bond with the Ric but each time I play it I get upset because I don't have the bond and I wish I did. It looks great in my opinion, but I am just not feeling it. If you know what I mean. So I have been thinking about selling it and replacing it with something different. The Skyline 44-02 has come to mind. Do you think this would be a fair exchange? Or am I crazy? I am a huge fan of the stingray, but I already have two of them. Their new 25th anniversary basses look pretty cool, but they are close to $3k. Well just looking for other opinions from you guys out there. Should I continue to give the Ric a chance or go with something else?
Thanks..

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Yes, been there. Lived with a 4003 for about 10 years, tried to love it but preferred my Aria Pro then and my Fender P now.

I can't say if the Skyline is a "fair exchange", but I will say if you aren't feeling it with the Ric and find a bass that does speak to you then go for it and don't look back. Also a dirty secret is as much as we love to associate certain artists with Ric's, many of them have moved on as well, so in that respect we're in good company.

I'm also think about a 44-02. In my case to replace my jazz bass. Like you with your Ric I tried hard to love my jazz at times it sounds great but other times it just doesn't do it for me, too anemic in the low mid range. If you like your stingrays then the 44-02 might be good for you. In a beer analogy I think of 44-02 as a stingray light, not having that heavy ray tone but somewhat close and having certain perks like much lighter weight, 22 frets and probably a faster neck. I'm basing my opinion on having owned a 78 stingray and a 55-02 in the past . I'm a big fan of Skylines and hope to have a 44-02 as soon as I get the funds.
I wonder?? you also might want to look into a Skyline decade. It has the neck pickup in a similar location to the Ric but imo the 44-02 is a great all around bass.

I think you should get your feet wet as far as finding out what you DO like. But all the while hanging on to this Ric. I don't know your experience with other basses but I'm just gonna assume you haven't tried everything under the sun. Go play things that you may have previous inclinations not to try. It never hurts. BUT i have found that sometimes you have to learn to love certain things, and most of the time you end up liking these things the most.

...Not to get all philosophical on you or anything. Feel free to take my advice with one grain of salt.

I think you should get your feet wet as far as finding out what you DO like. But all the while hanging on to this Ric. I don't know your experience with other basses but I'm just gonna assume you haven't tried everything under the sun. Go play things that you may have previous inclinations not to try. It never hurts. BUT i have found that sometimes you have to learn to love certain things, and most of the time you end up liking these things the most.

...Not to get all philosophical on you or anything. Feel free to take my advice with one grain of salt.

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I have to +1 this. I'm a big fan of Laklands, but you have to figure out what you want, tonally. Check out a Skyline Decade, if you get a chance. I think it serves as a better contrast/complement to a Stingray than a 44-02.

Hey guys thanks for all the replies.. I love the Jazz bass sound as well, but I can't get past the skinny neck. I really love a fat neck at the nut. One thing I do like on the Ric's. I think the Decades have the standard 1.5 inch neck as well which is a turn off for me. I have been playing for about 20 years so I have played my fair share of basses. I own a P-bass, stingrays, ATK, and a T-40. I have also been looking at the Bob Glaub.. But the 44-02 stands out with the versitality for me. Do they make a Bob Glaub P\J bass? Says they do on their website, but I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere. We have a lakland dealer up in Kansas City, looks like I should pay them a visit and try a few out.

Hey guys thanks for all the replies.. I love the Jazz bass sound as well, but I can't get past the skinny neck. I really love a fat neck at the nut. One thing I do like on the Ric's. I think the Decades have the standard 1.5 inch neck as well which is a turn off for me. I have been playing for about 20 years so I have played my fair share of basses. I own a P-bass, stingrays, ATK, and a T-40. I have also been looking at the Bob Glaub.. But the 44-02 stands out with the versitality for me. Do they make a Bob Glaub P\J bass? Says they do on their website, but I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere. We have a lakland dealer up in Kansas City, looks like I should pay them a visit and try a few out.

Well it is not the width of the neck.. I don't like the finish on the back of the neck. It is always getting sticky. I don't like the lack of body contures. The edge and binging digs into my for arm and make it uncomfortable to play. Setup and maintenance is a pain. Single coil hum is a bummer in some places I play. Not to mention I have the dreded Ric dead spot at around the 10th fret on the D string. This is the most expensive bass I own and it really has been nothing but a pain in the you know what since I have owned. I think I was more in love with the idea of having a Ric when I bought it. Even though I owned one previously for several years. I thought I might have grown out of the phase of what I did not like about them 10 years ago when I owned my first one.. I guess not

Well it is not the width of the neck.. I don't like the finish on the back of the neck. It is always getting sticky. I don't like the lack of body contures. The edge and binging digs into my for arm and make it uncomfortable to play. Setup and maintenance is a pain. Single coil hum is a bummer in some places I play. Not to mention I have the dreded Ric dead spot at around the 10th fret on the D string. This is the most expensive bass I own and it really has been nothing but a pain in the you know what since I have owned. I think I was more in love with the idea of having a Ric when I bought it. Even though I owned one previously for several years. I thought I might have grown out of the phase of what I did not like about them 10 years ago when I owned my first one.. I guess not

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Interesting. I actually prefer finish on the back of the neck. It's one thing that I really don't like about a lot of basses and guitars, the unfinished necks. And most Ric owners I've talked to find them to be very stable as far as setup.

I take it you have a 4001 or 4003?

If the binding and single coil hum bothers you, maybe the 4004 would have been a better fit.

I've been playing Rics for years, but bought a Lakland Skyline 44-02 for something different to play. The Laklands a great bass, very versitle, but I prefer the tone of my Rics. I would defintely give the 4004 a shot. I've been prefering it over my 4001's so much lately that now I'm jonsing fo a P-bass. It has no binding, and a much darker tone. I think they are Rickenbacker's best kept secret.

I've been playing Rics for years, but bought a Lakland Skyline 44-02 for something different to play. The Laklands a great bass, very versitle, but I prefer the tone of my Rics. I would defintely give the 4004 a shot. I've been prefering it over my 4001's so much lately that now I'm jonsing fo a P-bass. It has no binding, and a much darker tone. I think they are Rickenbacker's best kept secret.

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I really want to try one out (though I know if I do I will get some serious GAS, with little spare money to indulge it), but have yet to see one in person.

They seem to be very well liked by those that have them, though. They look comfy, with the smooth body edges instead of binding.

I don't like the finish on the back of the neck. It is always getting sticky. I don't like the lack of body contures. The edge and binging digs into my for arm and make it uncomfortable to play. ... I think I was more in love with the idea of having a Ric when I bought it.

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I had the same trouble but solved it before I bought. I wanted a Ric very badly for my first bass, but I kept going back over and over to the music store, playing it and didn't like a lot of things about it, but unlike you I did have a problem with the fat neck, along with the body contours. I went for a Jazz Bass instead and didn't regret it for a minute. You just aren't seeing the benefits in having the Ric anymore, only the drawbacks. I'd say it was time for another bass, one you feel good about.